Loading...
1972-10-25 - Plan Commission - Minutes al 84 PLAN COMMISSION /0/?577-2 PUBLIC HEARING - PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION COMPANY HELD ON OCTOBER 25, 1972 Chairman, Carl Genrich, called the Public Hearing to order at 8 :20 P. M. , October 25, 1972, at the Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Commissioners Present: Mr. Genrich, Chairman Mr. Yost Mr. Van Engen Mrs. Rech Mr. Gamin Mr. Harris Mr. Fader Mr. VanHoorebeke arrived at 9:30 P.M. Commissioners Absent: Mr. Friedman Mr. Mendenhall Mr. Haarr Chairman Genrich announced that the Notice of this Public Hearing had been published in the Buffalo Grove Herald. Also present were Mr. Arnold Seaberg, Village Engineer, Mr. Norman Drummond of Associated Planners, Mr. Rex Lewis of the Park District, Mr. William Hitzeman of School District #96, Mr. Thomas Mahoney, Village Trustee, Mr. Bill Balling, Assistant to the Village Manager, and Mr. James Shirley, Village Trustee. Mr. Jack Siegel, Attorney, Mr. Ed Kagi, Architect for Sasaki, Walker Assoc. of Sausalito, Calif. , Mr. Joseph Koenen, Engineer for Ciorba, Spies, Gustafson & Co. , Mr. Richard Donatoni, Architect for Del Bianco, Schwartz, Donatoni, of Chicago, Mr. Bernie Wolf of Phoenix Construction Co. , were sworn in. It was noted that Mr. Friedman is owner of the property around the Buffalo Grove Golf Course known herein as Parcels A, B, and C, and that Phoenix Construction Company are the contract purchasers. Mr. Siegel distributed a brochure prepared for the Plan Commission containing a discription of the site, the developers' and planners' objectives of the development, and the impact and specific character of the development. Mr. Siegel testified that they believe this proposal is the highest and best use of the property. The Golf Course property is part of a 182 acre tract called Glen Grove. The Golf Course occupies 128 acres, Parcel A is 12 acres, Parcel B is 36 acres, and Parcel C �../ is 16 acres. The total acres to be developed in this area is 64 acres. He stated this entire property was once zoned for multi-family dwell- ings and was rezoned R-1 two years ago, which they feel was not in keeping with the original intented use for this land. Mr. Friedman was asked to give a statement. Mr. Friedman stated that, in the Pre-Annexation Agreement, this land was zoned R-9 and was rezoned R-1 without notice to him, which he has been advised was illegal. Mr. Harold Friedman stated that, in lieu of donating any more money or land to the Village, they are willing to sell the Golf Course to the Village at the price of $1,100,000, which is below the market value. NO P7 Plan Commission Public Hearing /o aS/72 Phoenix Construction Company October 25, 1972 Page 2 Mr. Siegel said Parcel A, located along Checker Road, would have 15 two-story townhouse units and 124 two-story garden con- dominiums and a playground. Parcel B, located along Lake-Cook Rd. , will have 64 townhouses, 188 garden condominiums and 234 three- and four-story apartment units and a tot lot and recreation center. Parcel C is bordered by Checker Rd on the north and Lake-Cook Rd. on the south and will have 324 apartment units built around a recre- ation center. A separate parcel of 33 acres located north of Highway 83, will be devoted to 241 townhouses. This makes a total of 1,190 units to be built. Chairman Genrich said he had thought they were going to give the Village a letter of intent. Mr. Siegel said he wanted to wait until after this meeting in case other things should be brought up that would go into this "letter of intent". Chairman Genrich said they would need the letter before ruling on this proposal. Mr. Kagi testified that his firm is active in land planning here as well as in California. He showed slides of what they have done in other developments. He stated that all buildings would be set back quite far from the road so they will not be too close to the single-family homes across the road. Parcel C will have a thickly- planted buffer between this parcel and the single-family homes. The buildings north of Highway 83 will also be set back farther than normal from the road. On all parcels there is good access without going through any other neighborhoods to get to these areas. No detrimental effect should occur to the surrounding property. Mr. Siegel said they are prepared to donate a 4.8-acre tract of land ,across from the Village Hall, to the Village in lieu of their present obligation to pay the Village $50,000 for the improve- ment of Checker Road. They also agree to pay $150 per unit on the parcel north of Highway 83. If the Village would prefer we meet the guidelines of the Naperville Ordinance regarding schools, we would be willing to do that instead of selling the Golf Course. Mr. Koenen testified that he feels this property is highly suitable for this type of development. There is suitable drainage and the soil is adequate. He said they received the report from the Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District and this still does not change his opinion. He stated that St. Mary's Church is on the identical type of soil Parcel C has and A and B are identical to the typical soil found in the rest of Buffalo Grove. He also stated there will be a future emergency fire access from the parcel on 83 north to the future school site and east and west to future develop- ment. Parcel B will have an emergency fire lane access to the west to any future development. He then presented a flood plain map. None of the parcels around the Golf Course are in flood plain accord- ing to the high water mark registered on August 25, 1972. He showed gOrg7 /o/as/7-? Plan Commission Public Hearing Phoenix Construction Company October 25, 1972 Page 3 a slide regarding the water main locations and sanitary sewer facil- ities. The southern half of Parcel B is in Cook County and the nor- thern half is in Lake County. There will be a lift station constructed for the Lake County portion of the Golf Course parcels. There will be 10" and 8" water mains. Storm water will drain through storm sewers to the lakes on the Golf Course. This water will be retained until Buffalo Creek subsides. The parcel on 83 will be connected to the water main on Checker Drive and will be surrounded by a 10-inch water main with 6" and 8" mains through the property. The open area will be graded to 2-4 feet below the grade of the homes to retain water which would then be drained off to a Buffalo Creek tributary. Mr. Wolf said they are the developers of Villa Verde and the commercial property north of Villa Verde. He said the prices of the townhouses north of 83 will be $35,000-445,000. Parcel A con- dominiums will be $26,000-35,000, the 3 and 4-story buildings will be $35,000-$50,000. He said it will take 5-7 years to complete. They will build Parcel A first and the first cluster of townhouses north of 83. Then Parcel B and last would be Parcel C. Mr. Siegel summarized the impact study. Chairman Genrich requested Mr. Wolf to read the letter out- lining more fully, the recreational proposal, for the public. Mr. Lewis said the Park District went over plans and requested that, prior to final plans of each phase, they would like to meet with the developer and discuss these further. Mr. Siegel agreed to this. Commissioner Van Engen stated the Appearance Commission has not had time to thoroughly go over the plans. Mr. Seaberg said` he has questions but these will have to be worked out in workshop sessions. He said there are problems with soil types, according to the report, and the property on 83 has 36% severe soil conditions. The land around the Golf Course has 29% severe soil conditions but this can be overcome. Mr. Drummond stated this development conforms to the Plan. Mr. Hitzeman said his figures show they would require $102,450 but he would like time to review the offers made tonight. Speaking for the Park Committee, Commissioner Van Engen said the Golf Course parcels are alright, but they question the parcel on 83. 10 29 Plan Commission Public Hearing i%s/7.2 Phoenix Construction Company October 25, 1972 Page 4 Commissioner Yost said he would like time to review the infor- mation with Mr. Seaberg. Chairman Genrich then asked for questions from the audience. Commissioner Fader read a statement received from Mr. & Mrs. Madsen of 321 Springside Lane in which they requested this proposal be denied, being undesirable for this property. Mr. Khalid Cosmo of the Strathmore Homeowners Assoc. presented a written statement in which they said they feel it will add to water problems, flood problems, and schools and parks, which we do not have enough of now. He said they would like to see this land used for parks and recreation, but because of the zoning, they would at least like to see a luxury type single- family dwelling or luxury condominium development would be better. Mr. Gordon Tierney, St. Mary's Parkway, read a letter he wrote to Mr. Raysa on January 7, 1970, regarding the petition presented to the Village Board on January 5 of that year. At this time it was stated that, if the property around the Golf Course was not developed within five (5) years, it would revert to R-1 Zoning. He also read a publication of a Zoning Bulletin which states that if a development is not in keeping with a Comprehensive Plan, it can be turned down. Chairman Genrich asked Mr. Tierney if he would meet with Commission- ers Haarr, Harris and Fader. Mr. Jim Broskow, Lincoln Terrace, said he would like to impress the need for correct planning and you cannot afford to make a mis- take. He said quite a bit of this development could effect the resi- dents seriously regarding Buffalo Creek and sanitary sewer back-up. He stated that, regarding the new Commission being formed with re- gard to the watershed where property will be condemned; he said it would be better to condemn open land than to condemn people's homes and having to tear them down. He said, regarding the soil tests and where reference was made to St. Mary' s Church, would like to point out the number of times the matter of St. Mary's has come up at the Village Board meetings and the flooding problems it is contributing to. Father Duffy of St. Mary' s Church stated they have had flooding in the School. He said he is against the rezoning. He said his main concern is Project C, but could be applied to all of the projects. He said his big objection to multiple-family units if people of this type are not a part of the community, but only live in a community. He said he came from a section on the South Side of Chicago which was highly densly populated and, once you get this type of development, the family type of community starts to deteriorate and he would not like to see this happen to Buffalo Grove. � 9a Plan Commission Public Hearing /%25/72 Phoenix Construction Company October 25, 1972 Page 5 \./ Mr. Richard York of Springside Lane said when Strathmore was hooked up to the water main, there was no water. He stated that he feels we should have the water available when the hook-up is done, and not just in the planning stage. He asked that the Master Plan be brought before the people of the Village before deciding on any more development because the people may not agree with the Plan. Chairman Genrich said there will be a Public Hearing on the Master Plan very soon. Mrs. Olson, 348 St. Mary's Parkway, said the park floods all the time and there is insufficient drainage already. A resident on Checker Drive said he was under the impression the retention is to be built on the developer's land, which is not what was presented. Chairman Genrich said they would take this up later. Commissioner Harris said there is a very real concern about the flooding problem in the Village. It is not our intention to approve any project which would cause further problems in the Village or in the development itself. We have an Ordinance which spells out whether a building can be built and where it can be built. He said he feels that the statements that this development would cause flooding are unfounded because our Engineering Department would not permit any development which would cause these problems. He also stated the Park District donation would come to $428,000. Mr. Siegel said they are not prepared to donate this much money to the Park District. Commissioner Harris said he meant the School. In answer to Commissioner Harris's questions regarding the widening of 83, Mr. Kagi said the existing right-of-way is 100 feet. Also in answer to Comm. Harris, he said they would prefer not to hook up their public streets together with the Levitt property. He feels it would be undesirable. Commissioner Harris stated that in Parcel B they had indica- ted pedestrian walks to the Golf Course, but there is a fence around the Golf Course. Mr. Kagi said this is not actually to the Golf Course, but to connect the Parcels. Commissioner Fader asked if they would sell the Golf Course to the Village if the Village required them to meet the guidelines of the Resolution on the 33 acre tract north of Highway 83? Mr. Friedman said no, but it would still be retained as a Golf Course. Commissioner Van Engen said he does not see how we can hinge together the school donation and the agreement of Checker Road be- cause this Resolution was made so a development would not become ar 9/ Plan Commission Public Hearing Phoenix Construction Company October 25, 1972 Page 6 an undue burden on the Village. Mr. Siegel said there are "X" number of dollars available and whether this goes to the Schools or to deeding land to the Village worth much more than the price being asked, would be up to the Village. Mr. Gordon Tierney said the land around the Golf Course had never been zoned multi-family as was stated by the developers. Commissioner Yost said the developer is providing retention out of your developed areas. The Ordinance reads retention should be "on site" or to an approved Village retention facility. If the Village wants to approve this, some discussion of acreage will have to be made. Mr. Siegel said the retention is located on the property now owned by the applicant, and what we are proposing is the future development of the entire 192 acres. Comm. Yost said he would like to see the retention areas turned over to the Village permanently. He also said there is no data concerning traffic patterns. Commissioner Yost asked about the maintenance being provided by the homeowners. Mr. Siegel said the condominiums will be maintained by an Association and there will be a yearly fee. He said the State By-Laws govern this and he would send the Comm- ission a copy of this Ordinance. Commissioner Yost asked if there would be basements in the buildings. Mr. Wolf said no. Comm. Yost said some of these structures will have to be elevated because they are on flood table. Mr. Koenen said this is a preliminary concept and these things will have to be worked out. Commissioner Fader stated that, regarding the accesses which Mr. Kagi said would be undesirable, we have a problem in the Village where people tend to feel they are from a certain section instead of Buffalo Grove as a whole and we want to get away from this. By seperating your development from others, this would only add to this problem. Commissioner Gamm asked where the aforementioned 4.8 acres is located. Mr. Siegel located this on the map as being Tract D located to the east of the Village Hall on the southeast corner of Raupp Blvd. and Lake-Cook Road. Commissioner Gam asked why they requested R-9 Zoning. Mr. Siegel said they would take any classification that would allow them to develop their proposal. `./ air 912 Plan Commission Public Hearing /d&S/7.Z Phoenix Construction Company October 25, 1972 Page 7 Commissioner Gamm said he does not like the idea of a tempor- ary hook-up. Mr. Siegel said this was worked out with Mr. Seaberg and Village Officials and they felt this is the best way. Commissioner Gamm said he does not agree with Mr. Koenen that the Soil Report has no bearing on the proposal and stated he �.J will rely on it very heavily in his consideration. Commissioner Yost asked the petitioners to put something in writing regarding their engineering and utilities plans. Mr. Koenen said they would do this. Commissioner Rech asked if the Village buys the Golf Course, would the builder still plan to drain the land around it as pro- posed? They answered that they would still plan to drain this land onto the Golf Course. Comm. Rech stated that they have planned a tot lot very close to one of the greens on the Golf Course and this does not seem to be desirable. Chairman Genrich asked if all of these dwellings will be owned by the residents. Mr. Wolf said yes. Chairman Genrich asked if it would be possible for them to develop part of this land in single-family. Mr. Wolf said, not at this time because of the trend to this type of development because the majority of the people want to get away from maintenance. It is a life-style trend and the cost of building single-family homes on this property would be great because this land is so valuable. Mr. Drummond said single- family is feasible in some instances but a developer has the ability to reach a broader number of people with townhouses. He said that, in making tax comparisons, the most favorable plan had the most multi-family dwellings and industry. Chairman Genrich stated that someone had insinuated that Villa Verde is contributing to flooding and asked Mr. Seaberg if this is true. Mr. Seaberg said they have retention but it is inoperable until the Dundee Road connection is completed. Mr. Shelby Weinstein, Beechwood Road, asked if townhouses and condominiums are so desirable, why are houses selling at such a high rate? This was not answered. Chairman Genrich adjourned the Public Hearing at 12,00 P.M. Respectfully submitted, avAzi Wa Recording Secretary Approved: .4.1p21-1/1411‘-_,4 Carl Genrich, Chairman